A recent report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has brought to light a significant increase in obesity cases worldwide since 1990, over one billion individuals affected by this non-communicable disease.
Published by the Lancet Medical Journal, the report underlines the uneven impact of obesity on poorer nations, while highlighting a concerning trend of rising obesity cases among children and adolescents, surpassing the growth seen among adults.
WHO defines overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation posing significant health risks, with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 25 considered overweight, and over 30 classified as obese.
Released in commemoration of World Obesity Day, observed annually on March 4, the study estimated that the global population of obese adults, adolescents, and children surged from approximately 226 million in 1990 to 1.038 billion in 2022.
The research involved a comprehensive analysis of weight and height measurements collected from over 220 million individuals across more than 190 countries to arrive at these estimates.
The findings revealed a concerning disparity, with an estimated 504 million adult women and 374 million men classified as obese in 2022.
Moreover, the study highlighted a worrisome trend, indicating that the obesity rate had nearly tripled among men (14 per cent) since 1990, while more than doubling among women (18.5 per cent).
According to the study, the number of children and adolescents living with obesity increased from approximately 31 million in 1990 to approximately 159 million in 2022.
It further observed that the Caribbean, Middle East, North Africa, Polynesia and Micronesia suffered more from the rise.
“These countries now have higher obesity rates than many high-income industrialised countries, especially those in Europe,” the study added.
Reacting to the findings, the WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressed the importance of managing obesity from early life to adulthood, through diet, physical activity and adequate care.
He said, “This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood, through diet, physical activity, and adequate care, as needed.
“Getting back on track to meet global targets for cutting obesity rates requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be accountable for the health impacts of their products.”
Corroborating him, the Director of Nutrition for Health at the WHO, Francesco Branca, said the rise above one billion people with obesity has come “much earlier than we have anticipated”.
He said the new drugs “are an important tool but not a solution to the problem.”Branca added, “In the past, we have tended to think of obesity as a problem of the rich, now a problem of the world. Obesity is a long-term issue and it is important to look at the impact of these drugs on long-term effects or side effects.”